8 Perfect Dinner-and-Movie Date Pairings for Hot Summer Nights

8 Perfect Dinner-and-Movie Date Pairings for Hot Summer Nights

There are evenings when the only acceptable date option is inside the Arctic cool of an air-conditioned movie theater. But women cannot live on popcorn alone (trust us, we've tried), so we paired each film suggestion with a delicious dinner recipe. Whip up these meals before or after you hit the theater, or just cook dinner and make it a DVR/Netflix night in instead.

No doubt this superhero movie is going to make you feel pumped up and ready to kick some major butt. Feed that energy with a protein-packed steak meal—either fire up the grill and keep it simple, or make a recipe that features some lean, mean fighting-machine meat.

It would be practically a crime to see the movie version of the cartoon you and your boyfriend loved as kids without making the Turtles' favorite food. You could order takeout, but we suggest making a version with fresh veggies and herbs for a lighter meal during these hot months.

Dinner-and-Movie Date Pairing: The Hundred-Foot Journey + Indian Food

An obvious choice when seeing a movie about a family who opens an Indian restaurant in France, but you won't make it through without an intense craving for something filled with delicious spices and served with a side of hot naan. You might as well ward that off with a pre-movie bowl of flavor-packed veggies and coconut.

Dinner-and-Movie Date Pairing: Let's Be Cops + Breakfast for Dinner

He'll love the high jinks of two dudes pretending to be police officers; you'll love catching up with your New Girl crushes Jake Johnson and Damon Wayans Jr. while waiting for next season. For both the cop humor and the themes of men who haven't yet grown up, homemade doughnuts seem like an appropriate meal. (You're a real grown-up though, so maybe eat a salad for lunch that day.)

Dinner-and-Movie Date Pairing: Jersey Boys + an Italian Feast

You'll have Frankie Valli's voice stuck in your head for days after seeing this movie, so you might as well celebrate him by whipping up a big Italian dinner just like he grew up with. Don't sing with leftover pasta in your mouth, please.

Dinner-and-Movie Date Pairing: They Came Together + Fondue

The only thing better than watching the always-delightful Amy Poehler and Paul Rudd mock cheesy romantic-comedy clichés in this funny movie from the team behind Wet Hot American Summer is pairing it with the most cheesy, clichéd romantic dinner: fondue. Hey, we never said cheesy was a bad thing.

Dinner-and-Movie Date Pairing: Tammy + Burgers

Between the July Fourth release date and the scene in which Melissa McCarthy's character robs a fast-food joint, it's only appropriate to eat this American classic for dinner while watching this movie. You'll probably laugh hard enough to burn all the calories in your burger anyway, but if you want to satisfy your craving in a healthier way, swap out beef for salmon.

Dinner-and-Movie Date Pairing: 22 Jump Street + Beer-Battered Chicken

In this sequel, Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill go undercover at a college, which means beer, beer bongs, and more beer. Get in the frat-party spirit (but in a less all-night-rager kind of way) by incorporating some brew into your dinner (and having a glass too, obvi).